Dedicated to the_lakez

     When General Kyra Kryze-Kenobi, Alexsandr Kallus, and Captain Rex returned to Yavin 4, they discovered Captain Hera Syndulla had managed to break through the Imperial blockade above Lothal and deliver the flight recorder for the new TIE defender. When Kyra joined the other rebel leaders inside the command center that evening, they all went quiet and stared at her, the pity practically rolling off of them in waves. Because Kyra knew she would not be able to dig herself out of the dark, gaping hole in her heart if she allowed herself to fall in, she activated the holographic plans for Thrawn's new prototype, the TIE defender Elite.

     "Based upon the data provided by Captain Syndulla, the TIE defender Elite possesses speed, weapons, and shields superior to any fighter in our fleet," Kyra informed the others, successfully diverting the attention away from herself.

     When Senator Mon Mothma asked if they could destroy the Imperial starfighter, Kyra answered, "In single ship-to-ship combat, unlikely. If we are unable to find a weakness in its design, it's imperative we prevent it from being mass-produced. I request permission to lead an attack squadron back to Lothal to destroy the factory."

     "Considering the Empire's defenses and our limited attack capability, I am not sure now is the right time," Senator Bail Organa replied.

     "We can't afford to wait," Hera argued, siding with Kyra. "I have a group standing by on the ground ready to aid any mission."

     "What about the blockade and Admiral Thrawn?" Bail asked.

     As Hera and Kyra considered his question, Mon said, "Your evidence is persuasive, Captain, but we'll need time to discuss further action. Perhaps it's best you and General Kenobi wait outside."

     Kyra hesitated, then reluctantly left the room with Hera and Chopper, the trio waiting impatiently for the rebel leaders to decide on a course of action. Eventually, Mon appeared and told them that she and the others had not come to a decision.

     "They don't trust me," Kyra claimed. "They think my emotions will get the better of me, even though I was trained to let go of my feelings as a Jedi Initiate."

     Mon placed a hand on her shoulder, "It isn't that. The TIE defender isn't our only problem. The Empire has some new plan, as evidenced by Protocol Thirteen. It is the immediate evacuation of all Imperial personnel from an occupied planet."

     "An order like that should only confirm our worst fears," Hera replied. "And we're too afraid to do anything about it."

     Before Mon could stop her, Kyra marched into the command center and admitted, "I know the odds are against this attack's success. But if that fighter goes into production, our squadrons won't stand a chance. I believe it's a risk worth taking. And whether we fail or succeed, at least our actions will show the Empire and the galaxy that we will not stand down, that we will not be broken by fear, that we are strong, united by our courage. Now is our time to strike."

     Bail smiled as he glanced at General Jan Dodonna and Mon, the rebel leaders both nodding and approving the mission to Lothal as Sabine Wren contacted Rebel Command.

     Hera pulled out her comlink and said, "Happy to hear from you guys. And good timing, Rebel Command has authorized the attack. Fighters are being fueled and bombers loaded."

     "The attack? It's happening?" Ezra Bridger asked excitedly.

     "We're launching our assault on the next rotation," Kyra confirmed. "Hera told Mon Mothma you'll coordinate the ground assault."

     "You can count on us," Ezra Bridger replied.

     The next morning, Generals Kenobi and Syndulla climbed into the cockpits of their X-wings, Hera having been promoted before their mission to Lothal.

     As a group of twenty-four ships – consisting of X-wings and Y-wings – emerged from hyperspace, Hera said, "All right, let's make this count. Lothal's depending on us. Remember, the Imperial fuel depot is our primary target. Lock S-foils in attack position."

     As the two main wings of the starfighters split into four smaller wings, Kyra – having traded her Mandalorian armor for a red flight suit – added, "Pilots, stay with your wingman and punch a hole in their defenses. We have to get the Y-wings through."

     When Grand Admiral Thrawn's fleet deployed several squadrons of TIE fighters, Kyra, Hera, and the rebels charged forward to meet them. Kyra – serving as Hera's wingman – quickly shot down the first enemy vessel, the TIE fighter spiraling out of control and crashing into the nearest light cruiser.

     "Nice shot. Phoenix Four and Five, thin out those TIEs at point three," Hera instructed.

     When both rebels were shot down by the TIE defender piloted by Commander Vult Skerris, Hera and Kyra pursued the advanced starfighter, each gunning down one of the commander's wingmen. When Skerris pulled back on the joysticks and positioned himself behind Hera, the newly-promoted general was unable to shake him. Kyra moved to intercept Skerris but was cut off by a pair of TIE fighters and forced to break away, finally managing to shake her assailants and watching as Hera gunned down the Chimaera's scanning array. Hera disappeared behind a cloud of smoke, emerging a moment later and defeating Commander Vult Skerris, whose shields had been destroyed by friendly fire.

     The TIE defender plunged into the bridge of a light cruiser, which in turn collided with the Star Destroyer beneath it.

     As Grand Admiral Thrawn's impenetrable barricade began to splinter, Kyra said, "This is it. We've got our opening. All wings, form up and head for the target!"

     As the Phoenix Squadron raced towards the surface of Lothal, which had been severely burned by the Empire's efforts to sustain its factory, Kyra spotted enemy fighters on her radar. Before she could warn her forces of the impending attack, a legion of TIE fighters appeared in the clouds and opened fire, the rebel pilots severely outnumbered. One-by-one, Kyra watched as the men and women under her command were shot down, Kryze's own X-wing plummeting towards the capital city below. She rapidly pressed a variety of buttons and flipped several switches to try and compensate for the damage, but the starfighter did not respond.

     Kyra pulled back on the joystick in a last-ditch effort to control her crash, but before she could level out, Kenobi hit the pavement and bounced multiple times, the straps of her harness digging painfully into her shoulders. The X-wing finally came to a stop when it collided nose-first with a building, Kyra falling unconscious when her head slammed against the dashboard. Kyra did not know how long she was out, but she did not dwell on it for too long when she woke up because the cockpit was filled with smoke. R4-A3, the astromech who had accompanied her, was currently working on freeing Kyra, the droid having already broken out of the burning ship.

     Kyra covered her nose and mouth with the undershirt of her uniform, coughing as R4-A3 finally managed to break through the glass hatch above her. When Kyra tried to lift herself out of the seat, she yelped and quickly stopped, realizing that her leg was caught beneath the control panel. Unhooking her lightsaber from her belt, Kyra ignited the blade and cut through the dashboard, freeing her trapped leg. She slowly climbed out of the cockpit and fell to the ground, grimacing as she checked herself for any further injuries. Other than the angry lump on her forehead and her burned and lacerated right leg, the only other injury Kryze sustained was a badly bruised left shoulder.

     With R4-A3's help, Kyra got to her feet, just in time to see a squadron of stormtroopers racing towards her on an armored transport. As the troopers raised their blasters, R4-A3 rolled in front of Kyra and put himself in harm's way, threatening to electrocute the Imperials with his small, electrically charged metal arm.

     "Capture the droid," the nearest stormtrooper said. "We need its memory bank."

     When R4-A3 fought back, a second trooper shot him, the astromech falling onto his back and lying still. Kyra knelt beside the droid for a moment before suddenly taking off her helmet and throwing it at the closest Imperial. As the second stormtrooper stumbled, Kyra got to her feet and tried to activate her lightsaber, but a third trooper kicked her in the stomach and pistol-whipped her. When the Imperials heard their armored transport closing in behind them, they turned, allowing Kyra to ignite her saber and stab the third stormtrooper in the chest. The two remaining troopers turned to shoot Kyra, but they were crushed by their own transport.

     Kyra kept her lightsaber raised, only lowering her weapon when the door slid aside to reveal Hera and Chopper. The two women hugged, each making sure the other was all right and both finding that they would survive their injuries.

     When Kyra glanced at R4-A3, Hera said, "I'm sorry about your astromech. But if we're gonna get through this, I need his transmitter so that Chopper can send a signal to get us help."

     Kyra smiled sadly, "I understand. And Arthree would want to help."

     Once Hera had finished replacing Chopper's transmitter with R4-A3's, the cantankerous astromech informed the rebel leaders that the Empire was jamming every frequency.

     Hera sighed, "Well, we'll try again once we get out of the city. Let's go."

     As the trio started to walk away from the wreckage of Kyra's X-wing, someone fired at them from a nearby rooftop. Kyra activated her lightsaber as she turned and found a small being with reptilian features staring back at her. Hera drew her pistol and returned fire before following Kyra and Chopper, the droid scanning for the nearest sewer hatch as they ran. When Kyra heard Hera open fire behind her, she turned and saw that the reptile was running alongside them, traversing across the rooftops. Suddenly, the small creature leapt off the nearest building and landed in front of the rebels, cutting them off. The reptile activated his electrostaff and hit Kyra in the stomach, Kenobi falling to her knees as electricity coursed through her body.

     Kyra groaned and turned onto her side as the reptile disarmed Hera, who engaged the nimble being in hand-to-hand combat. Hera hopped onto the creature's back and managed to knock the electrostaff out of his hands, but the reptile grabbed her around the waist and threw her onto the ground. As the reptile raised the electrostaff over his head, Chopper delivered his own electric shock, the creature falling over as the astromech cackled. Kyra snatched Hera's pistol off the ground and tried to shoot the creature as he jumped onto a nearby awning, but he was too fast. Once the reptile being had disappeared, Kyra helped Hera to her feet and returned her pistol before limping to the end of the alley, making sure the street was clear of Imperial patrols.

     A few blocks later, when the trio came upon a pair of stormtroopers and an AT-DP, Kyra sighed and said, "Let me guess. That's the hatch."

     Hera pinched the bridge of her nose as she turned to Chopper, "Got any other options?"

     Before the astromech could answer, Kyra stated, "There's no time for anything else. They're closing in. We're going to have to get that thing to move."

     Hera went silent for a moment, then spotted an abandoned landspeeder behind them and turned to Kyra, who sighed and shook her head before walking into the street, directly into the AT-DP's spotlight.

     "Hey, I heard you guys were looking for rebel pilots," Kyra said as the troopers glanced at each other and raised their blasters. "Looks like you found one."

     The first stormtrooper ordered her to raise her hands, and when she did not comply, he fired a warning shot. Kyra deflected the blaster bolt with her lightsaber, the redirected round hitting the trooper in the chest and knocking him off his feet. Taking a deep breath, Kyra ran down the street and turned left at the nearest intersection, gritting her teeth as her injured leg protested with each step. She ducked behind a stack of crates and held her breath, listening to the walker's large metal legs clank and groan as it marched down the street. When the trooper searched behind the containers, his back turned to Kyra, she grabbed his blaster with both hands and used the trooper's own weapon to strangle him.

     She took the blaster and fired several rounds at the AT-DP as it turned to face her, diving out of the way when Hera piloted the stolen landspeeder into the walker's legs. The AT-DP came crashing down, and as Hera climbed over the top, she told Kyra to get to the sewer hatch. Kyra hesitated for a moment, then nodded and ran back to the sewer hatch, where Chopper was busy trying to override the locking mechanisms. Once Chopper had succeeded in opening the hatch, Kyra clipped her lightsaber to her belt and began to descend, stopping when she saw Hera sprinting towards her. Sensing movement in her peripheral vision, Kyra spotted the reptile running on all fours across the rooftops, gaining ground on Hera.

     "Hera, behind you!" Kyra warned, but the creature was already diving off the building.

     The reptile tackled Hera to the ground, but she quickly got to her feet and fought the creature, landing several blows to his stomach before being knocked over. When Kyra started to climb out of the hatch, a pair of hovertanks cut her off, blocking the street.

     When Hera saw Kyra waiting for her, she shouted, "Go! That's an order!"

     "You don't outrank me!" Kyra replied, but when she went to help, Hera Syndulla shot the control panel to the hatch, forcing Kryze to choose between climbing down the ladder or being sliced in half by the blast door.

     She reluctantly chose the first option and followed Chopper through the sewer system, following the starbirds that Sabine Wren had painted throughout the underground corridors. Kyra climbed up another ladder when she reached the next hatch, but before she could unlock the door, it was opened from the outside.

     Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus held out his hand, "Come on. Let's get you out of here."

     "Kanan..." Kyra started, but she could not find the words to finish her statement.

     Kanan sighed, "I know."

     "Kanan, I'm so sorry," Kyra replied.

     Kanan placed a hand on her shoulder, "It's okay. There's nothing you could've done. But there is something I can do."

     Kyra Kryze-Kenobi frowned as she and Chopper hopped onto Kanan's speeder bike, "I don't like that look."

     Kanan Jarrus smirked as they rode back to the makeshift rebel base, "What look?"